871 research outputs found
Parallel Recursive State Compression for Free
This paper focuses on reducing memory usage in enumerative model checking,
while maintaining the multi-core scalability obtained in earlier work. We
present a tree-based multi-core compression method, which works by leveraging
sharing among sub-vectors of state vectors.
An algorithmic analysis of both worst-case and optimal compression ratios
shows the potential to compress even large states to a small constant on
average (8 bytes). Our experiments demonstrate that this holds up in practice:
the median compression ratio of 279 measured experiments is within 17% of the
optimum for tree compression, and five times better than the median compression
ratio of SPIN's COLLAPSE compression.
Our algorithms are implemented in the LTSmin tool, and our experiments show
that for model checking, multi-core tree compression pays its own way: it comes
virtually without overhead compared to the fastest hash table-based methods.Comment: 19 page
Gastrostomies Preserve but do not Increase Quality of Life for Patients and Caregivers
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Gastrostomies are widely used to provide long-term enteral nutrition to patients with neurological conditions that affect swallowing (such as following a cerebrovascular accident or for patients with motor neuron disease) or with oropharyngeal malignancies. The benefits derived from this intervention are uncertain for patients and caregivers. We conducted a prospective, multicenter cohort study to determine how gastrostomies affect health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in recipients and caregivers. METHODS: We performed a study of 100 patients who received gastrostomies (55% percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, 45% radiologically inserted) at 5 centers in the United Kingdom, 100 caregivers, and 200 population controls. We used the EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D, comprising a questionnaire, index, visual analogue scale) to assess HRQoL for patients and caregivers before the gastrostomy insertion and then 3 months afterward; findings were compared with those from controls. Ten patients and 10 caregivers were also interviewed after the procedure to explore quantitative findings. Findings from the EQ-5D and semi-structured interviews were integrated using a mixed methods matrix. RESULTS: Six patients died before the 3-month HRQoL reassessments. We observed no significant longitudinal changes in mean EQ-5D index scores for patients (0.70 before vs 0.710 after; P=.83) or caregivers (0.95 before vs 0.95 after; P=.32) following gastrostomy insertion. The semi-structured interviews revealed problems in managing gastrostomy tubes, social isolation, and psychological and emotional consequences that reduced HRQoL. CONCLUSIONS: We performed a mixed methods prospective study of the effects of gastrostomy feeding on HRQoL. HRQoL did not significantly improve after gastrostomy insertion for patients or caregivers. The lack of significant decrease in HRQoL after the procedure indicates that gastrostomies may help maintain HRQoL. Findings have relevance to those involved in gastrostomy insertion decisions and indicate the importance of carefully selecting patients for this intervention, despite the relative ease of insertion
Quantum limits on phase-shift detection using multimode interferometers
Fundamental phase-shift detection properties of optical multimode
interferometers are analyzed. Limits on perfectly distinguishable phase shifts
are derived for general quantum states of a given average energy. In contrast
to earlier work, the limits are found to be independent of the number of
interfering modes. However, the reported bounds are consistent with the
Heisenberg limit. A short discussion on the concept of well-defined relative
phase is also included.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, REVTeX, uses epsf.st
Trying to end the war on the world: the campaign to proscribe military ecocide
Military ecocide, the destruction of the natural environment in the course of fighting or preparing for war, has a long history and remains a regular feature of contemporary conflicts. Efforts to prohibit this in international law were initiated after the US’ notorious defoliation campaign in the Vietnam War in the 1960s and have advanced since then. Legal ambiguities and the defence of military necessity have limited the application of this body of law but the proscription of ecocide has, nonetheless, progressed and looks set to develop further. Normative change driven by scientists, environmentalists and legal experts has raised awareness of and stigmatised such practises to the extent that recourse to the worst excesses of ecocide now appears to have lessened and some recompense for past crimes has been made. Military activities, though, still inflict a heavy cost on the environment
Understanding preventive behaviors among mid-Western African-American men: a pilot qualitative study of prostate screening
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jomh.2011.03.00
Analysis of a renormalization group method and normal form theory for perturbed ordinary differential equations
Nonlinear Spin Dynamics in Nuclear Magnets
A method is developed for solving nonlinear systems of differential, or
integrodifferential, equations with stochastic fields. The method makes it
possible to give an accurate solution for an interesting physical problem: What
are the peculiarities of nonlinear spin dynamics in nonequilibrium nuclear
magnets coupled with a resonator? Evolution equations for nuclear spins are
derived basing on a Hamiltonian with dipole interactions. The ensemble of spins
is coupled with a resonator electric circuit. Seven types of main relaxation
regimes are found: free induction, collective induction, free relaxation,
collective relaxation, weak superradiance, pure superradiance, and triggered
superradiance. The initial motion of spins can be originated by two reasons,
either by an imposed initial coherence or by local spin fluctuations due to
nonsecular dipole interactions. The relaxation regimes caused by the second
reason cannot be described by the Bloch equations. Numerical estimates show
good agreement with experiment.Comment: 1 file, 47 pages, LaTe
Measurement of the B0-anti-B0-Oscillation Frequency with Inclusive Dilepton Events
The - oscillation frequency has been measured with a sample of
23 million \B\bar B pairs collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II
asymmetric B Factory at SLAC. In this sample, we select events in which both B
mesons decay semileptonically and use the charge of the leptons to identify the
flavor of each B meson. A simultaneous fit to the decay time difference
distributions for opposite- and same-sign dilepton events gives ps.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure, submitted to Physical Review Letter
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